en
Jakarta, Indonesia
Jakarta, Indonesia – December 4, 2024 – On November 30, 2024, Jakarta hosted a groundbreaking training program aimed at elevating ultra-micro businesses, bringing together 250 women entrepreneurs for an inspiring day of empowerment, skills-building, and networking. Titled “Expanding Market Access for Women Entrepreneurs” and organized by Pusat Investasi Pemerintah (PIP) in partnership with WEConnect International and Karya Nusantara, the event aimed to address the critical challenges faced by ultra-micro businesses, particularly those led by women, in scaling and sustaining their operations.
This initiative stems from a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023 between PIP and WEConnect International. With the support of local collaborators such as Karya Nusantara/PT. Layar Timur Indonesia, PT Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM), Koperasi Mitra Dhuafa (KOMIDA), Pegadaian and BMI Syariah, the training provided participants with a robust curriculum and interactive workshops tailored to the needs of ultra-micro business owners that covered business development, market expansion strategies, business standardization, leadership skills. and digital tools for business growth.
The majority of participants were small business owners in the food and beverage and retail sectors, with a considerable proportion operating for more than four years. However, the program also revealed areas needing attention:
Program Highlights
Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs: Renowned speakers, including Nilam Sari of PT Nava Sari Kreasi, Yanty Melianty from PT Magfood and Dewi Meisari of id, led sessions on personal development, business strategy, and the use of digital platforms to analyze market trends.
“The material was extremely helpful and enabled you to immediately put into practice the steps that Ibu Dewi highlighted, while also teaching you about the resilience needed to scale a business that was discussed by Ibu Nilam Sari.” says Rukminingsih, a participant from PNM.
Rohaya, referred by BMI, says, “The most useful thing from this program is the content on marketing strategies, especially knowing the market, understanding customer needs, and leveraging the internet to grow my business. I particularly liked the discussion on what time of day to target for online posting.”
“Training about self-confidence in marketing is especially important when you are just starting a business. Previously, I was still afraid of going on social media. Today, with guidance from Ibu Dewi, I have understood how to create impactful advertisements, and I want to explore other ways to grow my business”, says Khatulistiwa, a participant from Pegadaian.
Sulastri, a participant from Komida, says, “After this training, my focus will be to review my strategy and increase my turnover. The content on funding business through marketing strategies is especially relevant.”
Impactful Outcomes
Key results from pre- and post-training assessments revealed:
Driving Women’s Economic Empowerment
This initiative underscores PIP’s commitment to advancing gender-inclusive economic development. With women comprising over 95% of the beneficiaries under the UMi program, the training aligns with PIP’s broader objectives of empowering 1,000 women-owned businesses across Indonesia by 2025.
“This joint market access expansion training program with WEConnect International is expected to help ultra-micro female business owners to expand their networks and business lines through discussions, exhibitions and business matching between women owned MSMEs and international strategic partner companies through the WECommunity platform,” says Faiz Hendrawan, Head of Cooperative Division, Pusat Investasi Pemerintah. “This is a concrete indicator of PIP’s seriousness in providing services to women owned businesses to increase their business capacity.”
“Indonesia’s women entrepreneurs are a driving force of innovation and economic growth,” says Elizabeth Vazquez, CEO and Co-Founder of WEConnect International. “By connecting them with global markets and procurement opportunities, we are not only helping their businesses thrive but also creating ripple effects that uplift communities and economies. We are proud to partner with the Indonesian Government Investment Center and Karya Nusantara to break down barriers and unlock the full potential of women business owners across Indonesia.”
A Collaborative Step Forward
This training serves as a powerful milestone in fostering sustainable growth for ultra-micro businesses in Indonesia. By uniting the expertise of government agencies, global organizations, and local aggregators, it reaffirms the importance of collaboration in breaking systemic barriers and unlocking economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
About the Partners
PIP: Pusat Investasi Pemerintah is the coordinator of the Ultra Microfinance (UMi) program, which has disbursed more than IDR 18 trillion in funding to ultra-micro businesses across Indonesia. https://pip.kemenkeu.go.id/
For Media Inquiries, contact Minnie Venkatachalam, email: mVenkatachalam@weconnectinternational.org
